University Services

Veterans Educational Benefits

Veterans Affairs Office

Student Services Center (SSC) 101

(361) 825-2331

Police

University Police

Physical Plant

(361) 825-4444

The University

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, a public institution of higher education, awards bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Situated on a coastal island, A&M-Corpus Christi’s modern campus serves a diverse population of around 10,000 students, including over 1,750 graduate students. The University is a member of The Texas A&M University System.

Institutional Vision and Mission

Vision

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is committed to becoming one of the leading centers of higher education in the Gulf of Mexico region while serving the intellectual, cultural, social, environmental, and economic needs of South Texas. As a result, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will invigorate and strengthen the region and state through its educational programs, research initiatives, and outreach efforts.

Mission

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is an expanding, doctoral-granting institution committed to preparing graduates for lifelong learning and responsible citizenship in the global community. We are dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, creative activity and service. Our supportive, multicultural learning community provides undergraduate and graduate students with a challenging educational experience through residential, distance learning and international programs. The university’s federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) provides a foundation for closing educational gaps, while its strategic location on the Gulf of Mexico and on the cultural border with Latin America provides a basis for gaining national and international prominence.

Institutional History

The island campus of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been a setting for higher education since 1947. That year, Ward Island became the home of the University of Corpus Christi (UCC), an institution affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The UCC campus was developed on land previously used by the U.S. Navy as a radar training facility.

In 1970, Hurricane Celia severely damaged the college campus. The following year, UCC and the Baptist General Convention took steps to end their affiliation. Concerned about higher education in Corpus Christi, a coalition of civic leaders sought local support as well as state legislation to convert the campus of UCC to a state-supported institution with an expanded curriculum.

In 1971, the 62nd session of the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of a state-supported institution of higher education in Corpus Christi. The Board of Directors of the Texas A&I University System was authorized to establish an upper-level university and to prescribe courses for the new institution at the junior, senior, and graduate levels leading to both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Funding was approved by the legislature to initiate planning for the university. The citizens of Corpus Christi approved a bond issue to purchase the campus of the University of Corpus Christi on Ward Island. Subsequently, the campus was given to the State of Texas as a site for the new state-supported university. Civic leaders in Corpus Christi also launched a successful public fund raising campaign to provide local financial support for the fledgling university. On September 4, 1973, several months after UCC completed its final classes, Texas A&I University at Corpus Christi opened its doors with an initial enrollment of 969 students.

In 1977, the legislature changed the name of the institution to Corpus Christi State University. The name of the University System, which also included Laredo State University and Texas A&I University, was changed the same year to the University System of South Texas (USST).

In 1989, the Texas Legislature abolished the University System of South Texas and merged Corpus Christi State University and the other two USST universities into The Texas A&M University System. In the same year, the legislature approved the expansion of Corpus Christi State University to a four-year comprehensive university, with enrollment of freshmen and sophomores to begin in fall 1994. In 1992, the role of the institution was expanded further when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board authorized the University to offer its first doctoral degree program. Another milestone occurred in 1993 when The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents renamed the institution Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The arrival of freshman and sophomore students in 1994 marked the transformation of the institution to a four-year university. Since then, student enrollment, facilities, and program offerings for both undergraduate and graduate students have continued to expand. In 2008, the City of Corpus Christi donated approximately 137 acres of land near the island campus to ensure adequate space for future growth.

Campus Facilities

Located on its own 240-acre island, the University features modern classroom buildings, support facilities, and student apartments and residence halls. Surrounded by the waters of Corpus Christi and Oso Bays, the campus is approximately ten miles from downtown Corpus Christi. Plazas, landscaping, and sculptures enhance the island campus. The University is also developing an additional 137 acres located off of Ennis Joslin Road.

Mary and Jeff Bell Library

The Mary and Jeff Bell Library is the University’s major resource for research and study. The Library houses a collection of approximately 578,000 books, bound periodicals, microforms, and government publications, and maintains subscriptions to over 2,800 serials and research sets in paper and microform formats. In addition, the Library provides electronic access to over 200,000 additional title through approximately 250 database subscriptions. Strong media collections and significant collections of South Texas books and archival materials provide unique resources for scholars.

Librarians assist individuals in locating, using, and evaluating information resources that support and enhance curriculum and research. Librarians also instruct classes in the use of information resources in specific subject areas. Librarians review resources and services regularly to ensure that both collections and services meet changing curricular needs and support the development of new academic programs.

The Special Collections and Archives Department houses a collection of rare books and archives dealing primarily with the life, history and culture of Corpus Christi and South Texas as well as other books and manuscripts that require special housing and handling. These materials are available to individual students, university classes, and researchers under special and appropriate conditions within the department.

The Library is also an authorized depository for both federal and state publications. As a depository the library provides the university and general public with access to government information in many formats.

The Library actively participates in national, state, and regional networks, commercial information services, area library agreements and interlibrary loan arrangements that provide access to materials not available on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus. Through the statewide TexShare cooperative library program, students and faculty have borrowing privileges at many other academic and public libraries in Texas.

Computing Resources

Student computing facilities at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are part of the campus network. Computer laboratories available for student use are located in the library and several other buildings. Various types of personal computers, such as Macintosh, RISC, and PC type; full-page scanners; laser printers; and graphic stations make up the laboratory machinery. Most computer laboratories are open over 85 hours per week, and are staffed with student lab assistants who provide support in various programs. The laboratories are equipped with a wide range of software applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets, graphics programs, programming languages, and specialized software applications that support individual classes. Internet access and e-mail are available for university students either on or off campus. Wireless access is available. Remote access to the network is provided through dial-in facilities and the World Wide Web. Students are afforded assistance by training classes, computer help sheets, and a helpdesk.

Student Services Center

In the round building near the center of campus, students can find the Offices of Admissions and Records, Financial Assistance, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Business Office, Academic Testing Center, and other units serving students.

Classroom Facilities

Classroom facilities are located in the Center for Instruction, Center for the Sciences, Science and Technology Building, Center for the Arts, Bay Hall, and Corpus Christi Hall. Many teaching areas include state-of-the art audio-video and computer equipment.

Visual and Performing Arts Facilities

The Performing Arts Center features a 1500-seat concert hall where local, national, and international artists perform. The Center for the Arts houses the Warren Theatre (a 275 seat, continental-style auditorium), the Wilson Studio Theatre (an experimental theatre), and the Weil Gallery. Also affiliated with the University is the Art Museum of South Texas, located in downtown Corpus Christi.

University Center

The University Center provides facilities and services for students, faculty, staff, and guests of the University. The 98,000 square-foot center contains student services offices, space for student organizations and student activities, food services, the bookstore and other shops, the campus post office, a branch bank and automatic teller machine, study lounges, meeting rooms, and entertainment areas.

Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science houses research laboratories and provides research and professional development for surveyors, science education and surveying related research.

Carlos F. Truan Natural Resources Center

University programs and state agencies focusing on natural resources are housed in the Carlos F. Truan Natural Resources Center, as is the College of Graduate Studies.

Harte Research Institute

This research facility houses the endowed Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, whose mission is to support and advance the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico.

Blanche Davis Moore Early Childhood Development Center and Math and Science Resource Center

The Blanche Davis Moore Early Childhood Development Center serves as a public school for area children and as a university teaching laboratory and research center. Children attending the school are selected from a stratified random sample. Housed adjacent to the Blanche Davis Moore Early Childhood Development Center is the Math and Science Resource Center which addresses the nation-wide shortage of math and science teachers through programs for teachers and students.